The Pains of Being Pure At Heart

It pains me to admit that I only recently (today) discovered a band that released its first album in February.

We’re approaching October’s end, so maybe this review is a bit after-the-fact. Well, better late than never.

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart’s self-titled debut album was a suggestion of the Manic Street Preachers. Their Web site, www.manicstreetpreachers.com, hails it as one of the best albums of 2009.

Turns out they were dead-on.

The band has been hailed as sounding similar to The Jesus And Mary Chain, and has even drawn comparisons with The Smiths (some deem them the American version of Morrissey et al).

“Contender” is feedback-laden with a quick-paced shoe gaze chord progression. If you close your eyes for a moment, you might find yourself transported back to Manchester in the late 80s.

The vocals lilt with the same quality of Morrissey’s distinctive style, yet I would hesitate to condemn the group as “derivative.”

“Hey Paul” finds the band in a bit more rollicking mood. The heavy guitar parts, coupled with female harmony vocals, keeps the sound interesting.

Pardon the clichéd analogy, but it’s like taking the best ingredients of your favorite soups and throwing them in a blender, putting it on the highest speed and drinking the liquid through a silly straw.

One part The Smiths. One part The Jesus And Mary Chain. One part Ride. And finally, one part The Stone Roses.

Yet the taste is something altogether its own, the combined ingredients creating a flavor that can only be described as The Pains of Being Pure At Heart.

If you love late 80s and early 90s pre-Britpop, this band is right up your alley.